Leeds United 1 Fulham FC 0. Make some noise. The stadium bristled all through the match as Leeds players had to patiently wait for Fulham to come out of their own half with the ball. Chances were rare, and it was patience that pulled off, as a late pressure on the Fulham defence, with a cross that actually found a Leeds player and a shot on goal that actually found the net, not the keeper.
Leeds have now lost only once in their last ten home games. Today it was a case of In Farke We Trust. It required a whole ninety minutes before either side made any meaningful attempt to test a keeper – thank goodness it was Nmecha picking up a decent cross.
Before the match the stadium stood for a minute of applause to pay tribute to the late Leeds legend Terry Yorath, with his daughter Gabby Logan watching from the stands.
The match itself was littered with half chances thrown away. First, Aaronsson, then Calvert-Lewin, Okafor and then Gudmundsson, pounding the ground at his wasted shot. Bogle and Okafor were also wasteful in their crosses with Calvert-Lewin having a quiet time in the penalty box. We missed Stach with the corners, which Justin struggled to keep out of Leno’s hands.
Congestion in the midfield
The first half was not epic to watch as both sides crowded out the midfield smothering any chance of end to end action. Leeds kept trying to play their chaotic style of football with Darlow kicking to Calvert Lewin but this largely led to long periods of Fulham keepy ball with little forward movement. Leeds looked a little nervous at times on the ball as Gruev and Aaronson tried to play forward football but were constantly crowded out by Fulham shirts.
The only real goal opportunity came to Aaronson who collected a high ball with just Leno in front of him. Another tap would have done the trick but instead he went for the half volley into the sky. It was hard to split the sides with Leeds having a good early spell but Fulham hogged the ball without any creativity passed our midfield and defence – Rodon and Struijk stayed switched on, stopping Harry Wilson and Raul tfrom troubling Darlow.
Fulham picked up six yellow cards during the match as they struggled with our pace. Even coach Silva picked up a card for losing his temper, and Harry Wilson who was lucky not to be red carded with a cynical foul on Gudmundsson who was away from him clear on goal.
It became a nervous last twenty minutes as the match drifted towards an equaliser that neither side wanted to lose. Fulham were playing for a draw but with Farke playing his impact subs – Nmecha, Tanaka and Gnonto – his players just needed time on the ball.
When the goal came in extra time it was one last throw of the dice. Leeds pressed and rattled the Fulham defence and up popped Ampadu with a lob that landed at an arriving Nmecha’s feet for a low volley into the net. The noise level reflected an Elland Road that knows Leeds are on their way to safety. Nmecha nearly made it two with a late break but Leno made a shot-stopper of a save.
It was a welcome return for Bogle although he struggled with the frenetic pace at times. Darlow, replacing a Perri who has made recently costly mistakes, looked nervous at times in front of a loud Elland Road. Aaronson, was undoubtedly our liveliest spark, constantly trying to break through the black shirts with his dribbling.
Final Thoughts
Fulham’s Harry Wilson was lucky to stay on the pitch after a cynical foul on Gabriel Gudmundsson, but justice was served in the end. With players like Jaka Bijol and Anton Stach hopefully back to full fitness soon, the road to safety is looking much clearer.
Man of the Match: Ampadu who held that defensive midfield to snuff out Harry Wilson and Raul, and popped up for that vital cross to Nmecha for his goal.
